Three Days in Bangkok – Part 1: Hissssssssss “Beware of Snake” at Thai Red Cross Snake Farm

On work travel you visit work places, right? I did not expect the snakes!

Jetlag was not going to stop me from exploring Thailand while I was visiting on a work trip. It took a solid two days, three flights, and many trips the length of my plane (to stretch and keep my circulation going on the 12-hour flight) to get from the Midwest to Bangkok, Thailand. There’s an 11 or 12-hour time difference, depending on whether we’re in daylight savings time back home, or not.

My final flight landed around midnight and the line for a taxi was tremendously long (and confusing). The ticketing machines had stopped working, so everyone was improvising. At least half a dozen languages hung in the air. Once to my hotel, I did my best to get to sleep as quickly as possible, to force myself onto local time. Should I eat at this hour? Travel advisors and influencers don’t always agree so I snacked, just to be safe.

The next morning I had an Asia Pacific-inspired breakfast, rode the stationary bike in the hotel gym (#30DaysOfBiking), and lounged in the rooftop infinity pool. It was an easy morning, soaking in a little of the Thai sunshine, and it was entirely refreshing. The air conditioning and dip in the pool helped with that.

There were 25+ floors at my hotel, with everything I’d need for the week’s meetings. But I was not about to spend all of my time in one location, no matter how pampering and accommodating it was. I’d done my research, had plans to visit the Thai Red Cross, and way particularly excited to visit the. . . . snakes?!

“Snake Farm, Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (QSMI), Thai Red Cross Society is the second snake farm in the world and the first snake farm in Asia. This is the only Red Cross snake farm in the world.” (Red Social Innovation website)

The snake farm and museum include an indoor and outdoor serpentarium. What a uniquely cool name for the facilities! There is just as much education and research going on as there is entertainment — snake shows include venom extraction and a snake handling show. There are courses on snake handling, providing information to the general public, and tourists like me, about “snakes, snake venom, snakebite first aids, and useful techniques for dealing with snakes.” (Red Social Innovation website)

There is a public service component to the snake farm, as well as conservation initiatives, as it spreads important information while debunking myths about snakes. There are efforts to restore and protect habitats, monitor and research species, and facilitate captive breeding programs. School and community outreach programs, workshops, and seminars can have a powerful impact.

“Because they are encouraged to experience stewardship throughout their involvement, participants in these programs are inspired to accept their responsibilities as responsible environmental caretakers fully.” (The Culture of Thailand website)

Community engagement is important to the snake farm. They cultivate a strong partnership with the community via: neighborhood clean-ups, community gardens, urban greening projects, and local business partnerships. Health and safety awareness programs are highlighted, including snake bite prevention and first aid training.

Do you see the connection between Red Cross and snakes?

I began my career at American Red Cross in Training Services, when it was called Preparedness, Health, and Safety Services (PHSS). I supervised, coached, and mentored the instructors who taught First Aid / CPR / AED classes at Red Cross chapters and in the community. This important skill training was brought to factories, playgrounds, offices, construction sites, and medical facilities.

This part of the organization, now called Training Services, celebrates lives saved due to the efforts of their classes and the impact of their instructors. Because of this, many Red Crossers have a Red Cross “Mission Moment” or a story about an experience that keeps them connected to the mission.

To prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors
American Red Cross Mission

Thai Red Cross Society is a national charitable organization undertaking humanitarian activities in keeping with the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This organization, dynamic and innovative, has a vision to move forward to excellence and strictly follow its core values/missions – grievance relief, quality of life promotion, disease treatment and suffering eradication. It serves public benefit and can be relied upon by the public.
Thai Red Cross Mission

Consider giving blood, or supporting disaster relief, or taking a CPR class.

Now, let’s get back to the snakes…

A large crowd was drawn to the afternoon snake handling show, filling the bleacher-style seats to ‘standing room only’ capacity – I got there just in time. For around 30 minutes snake after snake was brought in front of the crowd, big and small, some venomous and others not.

I noticed that the snake handlers were wearing thick rubber boots. They were attentive and in control of the heads of the snakes, working together to keep the snakes and each other safe at all times. The cobras elicited Oohs and Ahhs along with questions from the spectators. At the end of the show there was an option to hold one of the larger snakes – I forget what kind of snake it was, but it was definitely of the non-venomous type.

Our young visitor, below, looked to his mom for . . . reassurance? approval? permission? She was ready with a camera and so was I, capturing the anxious and joyful expressions on his face. He was a trooper! I’d met him earlier in the day, enjoying the museum exhibits as only a 7-year-old can. His mom was engrossed in her phone, so he and I read the signs and explored together. He wanted, so badly, for someone to be as excited about it all as he was.

Here are a few more photos of these stunning creatures, their enclosures, and art displays. The artwork illustrates snake lore and their importance to this part of the world. Daily life, and sometimes spirituality, are intertwined.

The Snake Farm’s dedication to public service initiatives is proof of the value of knowledge, community involvement, and group effort in fostering a harmonious and sustainable relationship between people and the natural world. With so many varied projects, the organization has turned into a ray of hope. Communities are now better able to acknowledge their duty to care for the environment.
(The Culture of Thailand website)

“Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promotes this place domestically and internationally as a tourist attraction, and it even features in the National Geographic magazine as well as in educational documentaries. There are a lot more places to visit in Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, although they are not as famous as the Snake Farm including Department of Animal Diagnosis and Investigation, Immunization and Travel Clinic, Rabies Immunization Clinic and Animal Toxin Clinic.” (Amazing Thailand website)

Before signing off, I have to praise the small, onsite garden café, where I took a break and enjoyed dried bananas for less than $1 USD. They were sticky sweet versions of the mini-bananas that are popular in that part of the world, eaten by the cluster. It was in the high nineties that day, maybe over 100 degrees, and I needed a cool drink. So I unthinkingly and unwisely ordered an iced coffee.

It was delicious, but… well, it was iced. Did that mean it had ice in it? Yup. As an international traveler, I know better than to accept ice in my drinks. For safety and wellness reasons, I don’t drink tap water. I’ve even learned my lesson, the hard way, not to brush my teeth with that same tap water or rinse my toothbrush under the tap. I was, of course, armed with a prescription for traveler’s diarrhea but I’d hoped not to need it.

I was 3/4 of the way through this truly refreshing drink before these thoughts clicked. At this point the damage (if any) was done and I’d just have to wait it out. (Update: all was well and I made it through my 9 days of travel without issue. I’m certain you’re relived, on my behalf.)